The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) has severed ties with Empire Racing Associates in an attempt to seek more freedom to lobby state lawmakers.
The horsemen need to re-establish their independence so they can sit down with the powers that be to make sure that issues important to horsemen are met, NYTHA President Rick Violette said in a statement. `The landscape has changed since we signed on with Empire. The rules have changed, the game has changed.`
NYTHA’s board voted 9-to-1 more than a year ago to align itself with Empire as the firm sought the contract to run Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct.
Violette said his group’s ties to Empire have hindered its lobbying power, as NYTHA couldn’t deal with the governor’s office directly under state procurement rules while it had an interest in Empire, one of the four entities seeking to obtain the state’s racing franchise.
`We are now trying to position ourselves so that whoever winds up getting the franchise has to satisfy the needs of horsemen,` said Violette. `NYTHA and its 5,500 members are looking forward to working with Gov. (Eliot) Spitzer, Sen. (Joseph) Bruno (R-Brunswick) and Speaker (Sheldon) Silver (D-Manhattan) to make certain that the horsemen’s interests are represented and protected in this process.`
Horsemen’s ties to Empire made the group restricted in its ability to negotiate with state leaders, Violette said.
`It is imperative that the horse owners and trainers be fully represented and their interests, along with the entire thoroughbred industry, be given significant consideration in any resolution of the franchise question,` he said.
On Tuesday, July 3, Empire CEO Jeff Perlee wrote to Spitzer’s special counsel, Richard Rifkin, who’s chairing a committee charged with recommending a preferred franchisee to the governor.
Perlee said Empire and NYTHA expected the franchise question to be settled by now, and NYTHA has other matters at hand that require it to deal with the governor’s office. To do so, it had to relinquish its relationship with Empire, he said.
New York Racing Association’s decades-old franchise expires at the end of this year. A decision on who would get the franchise after that was expected by now, and Spitzer has recently proposed splitting the franchise ` having one entity run racing while putting another entity in charge of gaming operations.
When first bidding on the franchise, Empire said it was interested in both aspects and cited its relationship to horsemen as evidence of a strong commitment to racing. Empire officials have recently told media that they would be interested in running just the gaming operation, should the franchise be split.
In other franchise news, Saratoga Springs Mayor Valerie Keehn released a letter she’s penned to Spitzer, conveying a sense of anxiety in her city over when the franchise will be awarded.
She called for a decision, as soon as possible, on who will operate the Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct thoroughbred racetracks after Dec. 31, when NYRA’s franchise ends.
`In a few days, we will be hosting the annual racing meet at the historic Saratoga Race Course, featuring the Travers Stakes on Aug. 25,` Keehn wrote. `I hope you will join us for the Travers, and I’m sure you can understand the community’s excitement as we anticipate the 138th running of the race known as ‘America’s Summer Derby.’ You should be aware, however, that this year’s excitement is tempered by the uncertainty about the future of the thoroughbred franchise.
Because thoroughbred racing is such an integral part of the community and economy, people are `developing a sense of anxiety about the lack of a clear plan for 2008 and beyond,` Keehn wrote.
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